On a beautiful summer Monday evening, GoodGym Liverpool once again answered the call of the Friends of Princes Park.

Twelve GoodGymers volunteered for the task. One by one, we gathered along the park's main avenue near the Friends of Princes Park building. The evening carried the gentle warmth of summer, and the park seemed to be waiting for us. After a few minutes, we were welcomed by Katie and Laura, from the Friends of Princes Park group.

Liam, our task leader for the evening, gathered us together for a safety briefing and outlined the mission ahead. Beside him stood two wheelbarrows laden with gardening tools, impatient soldiers waiting to be deployed. The moment Liam finished speaking, the wheelbarrows rolled into action and our small expedition set off.

Liam and Sophie led the way while the rest of us followed, chatting as we walked through the park. Along the route, a small comedy unfolded. Bekah, believing Leo was still somewhere behind us, thoughtfully sent him the location pin and tagged him in the group chat. Moments later, Leo appeared in a selfie with the group, having already caught up.

Our destination was a quiet corner of the park, tucked away from the main lake and resting beside a beautiful pond. It was one of those hidden places where the world seems to slow down, allowing nature to speak in its own language.

Before I had even decided where to begin, everyone was already hard at work.

One team cleared grass from the roadside and used the removed turf to repair a waterlogged area nearby, transforming it into a neat and orderly patch that looked freshly planted. Another team trimmed grass and vegetation growing along the retaining wall. Several friends were amazed by how quickly everything had grown. Nature, it seemed, had been busy while we were away.

Others gathered and removed the cuttings, ensuring the site remained tidy. Everyone worked in harmony, each person contributing their own small part to a larger achievement.

Yet the loudest activity of the evening was not gardening.

It was sneezing.

The pollen season had arrived in full force, and before long an unexpected symphony filled the air. Sneezes echoed from every corner of the work site, one answering another in almost perfect rhythm. It was a concert unlike any other, performed without rehearsal and entirely free of charge.

If someone had opened a nearby tissue stand, they might have retired by sunset.

Then, suddenly, the symphony stopped.

"Frog!"

Bekah and Tsitsi had spotted a frog that had fallen from the retaining wall and was desperately attempting to climb back up. Again and again, it tried, as though the word surrender simply did not exist in its vocabulary.

The determined amphibian continued its struggle until Naser decided to intervene.

Armed with a shovel and perhaps more confidence than expertise in frog transportation, he gently launched the frog several metres into the grass. To everyone's surprise, he did not aim for the pond as expected.

The frog experienced what was likely the longest jump of its life. Perhaps it broke a personal record. Perhaps it is still telling the story to its descendants. Either way, I doubt it will forget the experience anytime soon.

Then, far sooner than anyone wished, the announcement came.

"Time's up."

What a strange thing time is.

In ordinary life, people count the minutes until work ends. Yet here, among friends, nobody wanted the evening to finish. Everyone wished for a little more time, another conversation, another laugh, another shared task.

When people truly enjoy being together, time loses its meaning.

The tools were packed away; a group photograph was taken and then came a surprise announcement.

It was Sallyann’s birthday.

Not simply a birthday.

Her sixtieth birthday.

They had arranged a small celebration, and suddenly the evening became about something much greater than gardening.

Some people may think these weekly tasks and reports are repetitive.

They are mistaken.

GoodGym is not merely a running club that volunteers. It is a place where people practice community. A place where exercise becomes friendship, where volunteering becomes belonging, and where strangers slowly become fellow travellers.

Each of us joined for our own reasons. Some came to run. Some came to help. Some came searching for company. Yet over time, something deeper develops. Empathy. Trust. Kindness. Friendship.

Shared goals bring people together.

People give those goals meaning.

That truth became beautifully visible during Sallyann's celebration.

Bekah led the presentation of gifts. Many had been carefully Organised by friends both present and absent. Behind the scenes, people like Heetu, Bekah, Miriam and others had quietly spent time planning this moment.

As Sallyann opened each gift and read each message, she tried her best to remain composed.

Above us, the sky was heavy with clouds.

It wanted to rain.

Yet somehow it waited.

Message after message, memory after memory, gratitude after gratitude. Each word touched her heart a little more deeply.

Eventually, the clouds no longer needed to rain.

Sallyann's eyes did it for them.

The first tears appeared.

Not tears of sadness.

Tears of belonging.

Tears of gratitude.

Tears that only appear when a person feels truly seen and truly loved.

It was a beautiful sight.

A group of people from different countries, backgrounds, professions and cultures had gathered to celebrate one person who had touched so many lives. Sallyann had lived through countless moments over sixty years, yet this simple gathering of friends carried a magic all its own.

As Sally later reflected:

"I joined GoodGym because I wanted to make a difference. I don't think I had any idea of the difference it would make to me, or how important it and everyone within it would become. It truly is a group that supports, helps and makes a difference. When I say that, I don't mean only the wonderful things we achieve with spades, shovels, shears, litter pickers and paintbrushes. I mean within my life, my heart and my soul. Thank you so much for being part of my life."

Those words captured something many of us already knew but perhaps had never fully expressed.

We often hear that teamwork, volunteering and shared goals create belonging, reduce loneliness and strengthen communities.

But how do we measure success?

Not in kilometres run.

Not in flowerbeds restored.

Not in volunteer hours recorded.

The true measure of success was that moment.

The moment Sallyann cried.

Tears are often the most private possessions a person has. They emerge only when something reaches the deepest places of the heart.

Those tears revealed that over the years, through leaders and members like Sallyann, GoodGym has become more than a group.

It has become a family.

In an age when so many voices preach division, communities like GoodGym quietly build unity. While others draw lines between people, groups like this build bridges across them.

Charities, community groups and organisations like GoodGym are beacons in a fragmented world. They remind us that kindness remains stronger than indifference and that belonging remains stronger than isolation.

Happy Birthday, Sallyann.

Thank you for being exactly who you are.

Thank you for reminding us of what community looks like.

May your eyes shed tears only for joy.

And may we all be fortunate enough to celebrate your hundredth birthday together.

Super interesting task for this Monday! Our presence was requested with urgency for the Bombed Out Church re-turfing of their grass area as they had a wedding in just a couple of days!

And when someone asks for help, how can we say no? So off we go to the task on a day that was threatening to rain and make the job much harder. Luckily the rain stopped right as we all gathered around the entrance for introductions and debriefing.

It was definitely a task and a half, but we were up to measure even after some of us run a half marathon the day before! We weren't going to let some dirt keep us from completing our mission.

Like a SWAT team, we deployed our divide and conquer tactic. A few of us were in charge of clearing up big clumps and get the plot even and clear for the turf.

The rest of us had the tough job of carrying dozens of turf to key locations to ease the job of rolling them out later. Initially a trolley was used, but the tactics soon changed to a human chain , which was wonderful to see pros do what they do best. Strength is doubled when helping your neighbours and specially needed this time, but the time flew by and although it was impossible to get it all ready, we definitely a big portion of it and we're glad evening was back on track.

A special thing about this task was that it made me think that, you're not just volunteering and doing some work. You're having an impact on other people lives even if not directly. You're creating space for little miracles to happen so why not create as many chances as you can.

So anyway, here's today malapropism: many hands makes the world go round

PS. Should goodgym have a bat signal?

Monday evening brought another brilliant GoodGym Liverpool session, this time on the Mount at the beautiful St James’ Gardens by the Anglican Cathedral. As always, the evening started with movement and good company, with part of the group meeting near famous Suitcases for a run before heading down to the task location together. After a warm-up and an easy run through the city, we arrived ready to get stuck in.

The gardens were waiting for a bit of love and it didn’t take long before everyone found a job to tackle. Armed with tools, gloves and plenty of energy, we spread out across the space to help tidy and refresh the area. Some of us focused on clearing overgrown sections, cutting back vegetation to help reopen parts of the pathways and make the gardens easier to enjoy. Others got busy cleaning, litter picking and generally sprucing things up to bring a bit of order back to the space.

Bit by bit, the area started to transform. Paths became clearer, corners looked brighter and the gardens felt more open and cared for. After plenty of teamwork, laughs and muddy hands, we wrapped up the session feeling accomplished before heading back, knowing we’d made a real difference to a much-loved local space.

So, there were six of us tonight, and even though I was supposed to lead, life threw a curveball—so, Liam and Sophie became the dream team and took over! Classic GoodGym—when one falters, someone jumps in.

Jo arrived from Exeter, its always lovely when Jo has work on in Liverpool as we get to see her. I didnt get to chat tonight as I was late arriving and we were on different sites... but send my love to my birth county Jo.

Jo, Sophie, and Liam got straight to work taming a very overgrown raised bed by St. Peter’s Church, next to the Shewsy community centre. Bramble-wrangling, buddleia-bashing, plantain pulling and bush-busting clearing that raised bed. There was a particularly dug in bush that needed removing which the terrific trio managed with their strength and enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, Ellie, Heetu, and I made a fashionably 5 minute late entrance, but we quickly got stuck in—saws in hand, we chopped down poplar saplings, which were overgrowing horse chestnuts and cowslips. John planted more cowslips whilst we sawed. I clearly worked hard despite every photo looking like I was just chatting as I even broke a saw—Heetu was practically doing a happy dance, since we always rib her about brush breakages!

After all that, we regrouped, and took the group photos, before heading off. Heetu and i couldn't resist doing a little overtime and finishing the job of clearing the white poplar saplings... we will be pop(u)lar!.

Being in Everton—home of the Blues—I could’ve easily had the blues about being late, but instead, I felt lifted by it all. And on the ride home, the sunset was quietly beautiful—a reminder that even when things don’t start as planned, you can still find yourself chasing the light.

There’s something about evenings like this—being outside, working alongside others, doing something simple but worthwhile. It slows things down, shifts your perspective a little, and reminds you what matters. I may not always feel like turning up for a session but I never regret it! I strongly recommend it

Here's to many more Monday nights...

Liverpool put on a lovely clear night for my last task with Good Gym Liverpool. I met Liam, Aatefa, Sophie and Steph at the suitcases. Steph, who is in the midst of half marathon training, was even mid long run. We cannot wait to hear how the race goes!

We enjoyed a lovely nearly 2km run to Princes park to meet the rest of the group. We were so impressed to see Dike who did not let running back to back marathons put him off joining the regular Monday night task! Well done Dike! 👏

Before we got started, Bekah said a lovely goodbye and I was given some very generous gifts from the team. I may have shed a few tears and had many bittersweet goodbye hugs.

Katy and Liz then gave us the briefing. Our goal was to revitalize a very muddy and slightly overgrown area of path near to the island. Armed with wheelbarrows, shovels and loppers, we headed down to get stuck in to the task, in true Good Gym form. Highlights included debating the difference between a shovel and a spade and seeing a frog! By the end of the hour we had cleared a whole lot of mud from the path and filled this in with overgrowth that others had cleared from nearby.

At the end of the task, some walked and some ran back to the suitcases where after a quick stretch, we headed to the pub. What followed was a lovely time catching up and chatting about how lovely it is to be a part of Good Gym Liverpool!

Thanks again to everyone for being a part of my journey and for the excellent send off!